1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to voltage and/or surge-current protector packages. More particularly, it relates to a voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement which includes a two-piece interfitting housing of a unique construction for receiving a surge-current protector device and/or an over-voltage protector device, and a grounding bar adapted to be mounted upon a BIX connector block for connection to a ground contact associated with the over-voltage protector device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been known in the prior art of a device and structural arrangement which provides both over-current (surge-current) and over-voltage protection for use in conjunction with a telephone terminal block, conventionally referred to as an ATandT Style 110 Block. Such a voltage and/or current protector and grounding bar arrangement for the ATandT Style 110 Block is illustrated and described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,269 which was issued to Gregory R. Hayward et al. and is assigned to the same assignee as that of the present invention. This ""269 patent is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety which discloses a two-piece interfitting housing having an over-voltage protection device disposed therein and operatively connected to a ground contact. A strip-like grounding bar is configured so as to be able to be disposed within a longitudinally extending channel defined between two rows of laterally spaced terminals provided on the telephone terminal block. The grounding bar is provided with a longitudinally extending array of holes into which the ground contact of the two-piece housing is able to be disposed. A plurality of terminal/fuse contacts are also provided internally within the two-piece housing. A plug-in surge-current protection device, such as a fuse carrier, is operatively mounted upon the housing for connection to the terminal/fuse contacts. The terminal/fuse contacts are also interconnected to opposed terminals of the two rows of laterally spaced terminals of the telephone terminal block.
Further, there is also disclosed in the prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,153 issued to Hayward et al. and assigned to the same assignee as that of the present invention. The ""153 patent was based upon a Continuation-In-Part application which was filed on parent application Ser. No. 07/923,249, now the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,269. This ""153 patent is likewise hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety which discloses a voltage protector and grounding bar arrangement for use with a telephone terminal block having at least two rows of terminals which are spaced apart from each other so as to form an elongated channel therebetween. The voltage protector and grounding bar arrangement includes a two-interfitting housing for receiving or containing an over-voltage or surge-voltage protection device therein, a ground contact, and a grounding bar adapted to be mounted upon the terminal block and to be connected to the ground contact. The grounding bar is disposed within the channel of the terminal block. Two plug-in carrier devices for mating with terminal contacts are mounted within the housing and are adapted to be connected to aligned terminals of the terminal block. The plug-in carriers may house fuses, PTC current-limiting devices, or bridging clips.
While the foregoing voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangements disclosed in the aforementioned ""269 and ""153 patents provided the necessary over-voltage and over-current protection required, it has been noted that these arrangements are especially designed to be used in conjunction with a particular or specific telephone terminal block, i.e., the ATandT Style 110 Block. Inasmuch as an alternative telephone terminal block is also commonly used within the telephone and other electronic applications, conventionally referred to as a BIX connector block which is manufactured and sold by NORDX/CDT (a subsidiary of Cable Design Technologies), it would be desirable to provide a new voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement which can be used in conjunction with a BIX connector block.
It has also been noted that the prior art arrangements utilized separate, plug-in, surge-current carriers which are adapted to be received by the upper portion of the two-piece interfitting housing. In order to simplify manufacture of the separate carriers and housings as well as to minimize assembly or labor costs, it would also be expedient to provide a housing of a unique construction which will accommodate an over-current device and/or over-voltage device with a single standardized or uniform housing in lieu of separate plug-in carriers mounted on a housing. Further, in the prior art arrangements a label designating the various ones of the 25-pair protectors is typically installed underneath the protectors and on the top surface of the grounding bar. Thus, when all of the 25-pair protectors are inserted or punched down into corresponding ones of the openings in the grounding bar the label will be hidden from view. Accordingly, it would be also desirable to provide a label strip which can be placed on top of the housings of the 25-pair protectors so that it can be visually seen without requiring prior removal of the protectors from the telephone terminal block.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement for use in conjunction with a BIX connector block which is relatively simple and economical to manufacture and assemble.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement for a BIX connector block in which over-current protection and/or over-voltage protection is provided.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement which includes a housing of a unique construction which will accommodate an over-current device and/or over-voltage device with a single standardized housing.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement which includes a label strip which can be placed on top of the housings of the 25-pair protectors so that it can be visually seen without requiring prior removal of the protectors from the telephone terminal block.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement which includes a disconnect arrangement for allowing testing and line-servicing without removal of a voltage and/or surge-current protector from a telephone terminal block.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a voltage and/or surge-current protector and grounding bar arrangement for use with a BIX connector block having two rows of terminals which are laterally spaced apart with respect to each other so as to form a longitudinally extending channel therebetween. A grounding bar is disposed within the longitudinally extending channel defined between the two laterally spaced rows of terminals and includes a plurality of holes defined therein. Voltage and/or surge-current protector devices are disposed within a housing.
A plurality of tip/ring terminal contacts are also disposed within the housing for mating with opposed terminals of the BIX connector block, disposed upon opposite sides of the longitudinally extending channel, when the housing is mounted upon the BIX connector block. A ground contact is disposed within the housing for connection to the voltage and/or surge-current protector devices and to one of the plurality of holes defined within the grounding bar.